Sign the Avaaz petition against Nantes airport

Date added: August 1, 2012

The petition says the Nantes airport project is an economic, social and environmental aberration. Located 18 km from the center of Nantes, it would not solve the problems in the city’s current airport. It would only move them. It would inflict serious nuisance on over 80 000 inhabitants of the municipalities in the northern suburbs of Nantes. Connecting the various structures that it needs (roads, railways, bridge on Loire) would also cause problems (expropriations – compulsory purchase) and nuisance to thousands of others. The colossal cost of this infrastructure would weigh on the taxes of people across the department and result in budget cuts in other areas such as education and health. With traffic of up to 9 million passengers, this airport would significantly increase emissions of greenhouse gases. So we say NO to the airport project of Notre Dame des Landes!

Abandon the proposed airport at Notre-Dame-des-Landes!

Why It Matters

The project dates back 60 years, for Concorde, and the reasons given for its construction have changed over time and against arguments of opponents.

Today, though there is no lack of airport capacity problem or safety problem of the existing airport at Nantes Atlantique and the context does not favor expansion in air travel, the State, with the support of local and regional representatives (UMP and PS together on this issue), has awarded the construction and 55 years concession of this airport is called HQE group Vinci.

€360 million at the minimum of public investment would be swallowed up. Paradoxically, the need for this new construction is by no means proven and no alternative or optimization of existing platform have been studied …

More and more voices have been raised against this ecological and economic scandal.Despite strong opposition and demonstrations of the aberration of the project, with environmental, archaeological studies, etc., this has taken place with a large deployment of security forces and growing police violence.

A group of elected representatives who are opposed to the project was created in June 2009. It currently has nearly 1,000 elected representatives of various political groupings. This group has funded an economic study by an independent research firm whose conclusion is clear: the project is not justifed economically.

For more information on the Airport Project at Notre-Dame-des-Landes and ongoing activities, visit the ACIPA ( Citizens’ Association of Intermunicipal Populations affected by the proposed Airport Notre Dame des Landes ; http://acipa.free.fr ),

The petition:

AIRPORT PROJECT OF NOTRE-DAME-DES-Landes is an economic, social and environmental aberration ! Located 18 km from the center of Nantes, it would not solve the problems in the city’s current airport. It would only move them. It would inflict serious nuisance on over 80 000 inhabitants of the municipalities in the northern suburbs of Nantes. Connecting the various structures that it needs (roads, railways, bridge on Loire) would also cause problems (expropriations – compulsory purchase) and nuisance to thousands of others. The colossal cost of this infrastructure would weigh on the taxes of people across the department and result in budget cuts in other areas such as education and health. With traffic of up to 9 million passengers, this airport would significantly increase emissions of greenhouse gases. So we say NO to the airport project of Notre Dame des Landes!